Tonya – Special Friend (Kingdom Records 2008)

Tonya
Special Friend
Kingdom Records 2008
www.kingdomrecordsinc.com

No doubt about it: Tonya Baker can sing.

I don’t mean “sing” as in big-voiced, megachurch-filling gospel diva. Tonya has what I consider a bright pop sensibility, like a Regina Belle or a Heather Headley. Whether delivering a gospel ballad or an energetic, beat-laden groove, Tonya’s beautiful voice floats over and through the melody with the strength and grace of an eagle. The musicians backing her provide a light but vigorous jazz soundtrack anchored by the gentle but firm tinkling of a piano.

The songs on Special Friend are varied somewhat in style, tone, and theme, though most fit thoroughly within the popular rhythm and praise sound. Lyrically, the songs range from odes of worship to internal conversations about very real issues, such as dealing with difficult people, staying holy in a world of confusion and, as in the case of Tonya’s single, “Vengeance Is Mine,” talking a loved one out of completing suicide.

Notable tracks are “Where Would I Be,” which is the old Doc Watts’ “Father I Stretch My Hands to Thee” but with a post-modern twist. “Love You Like Him” could, with a few word changes, be a Top 40 love song. Tonya even flirts with electronica on “Raise a Praise.”

I risk raising hackles by calling Special Friend entertaining listening, because some may misconstrue that what I mean by “entertainment” is that the music is somehow vacuous. Not at all. Tonya never goes off topic lyrically, providing important moral messages throughout her songs. My point is that Special Friend is delicious to the ears. Gospel music is, and always has been, entertaining and inspiring at the same time.

Three and a Half of Four Stars